EPTExpect a few koreans to carbon copy it soon and it to spread like wildfire soon
(you may have noticed Heart in WCS NA attempted this style, but he seemed to be lacking in some of the knowledge on what to do with the unit comp).And who best to enlighten on what the hell to do with a strategy/unit transition...other than the person that started to perpetuate it? (suck it haters) :D
You may remember reading the original lategame Raven transition guide that I wrote here:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=315198
Please keep in mind that this is not a build order guide, as you can reach this endgame TvZ style with any opening build order. There are important reference points and guidelines I will give though on when to begin the transition to ravens. This is also a guide giving some tips on how to use the new seeker to increase the probability it will land.
Essentially, the same exact concepts from the original guide I wrote apply in HOTS, with some changes due to the changed seeker missile and energy/upgrade requirements to the raven.
The core concept: Accumulating ravens in lategame TvZ with bio or mech in order to parry Zerg's hive tech. In the example replays I have posted at the end of this guide, the style is a marauder heavy lategame style. Because ultralisks are so strong in HOTS, transitioning to a heavier marauder count is much more necessary. Widow mines and marines only are insufficient if Zerg reaches a maxed ultra/infestor/bane army or even ultra/hydra army.
The key difference stats-wise between HOTS Raven usage and WOL Raven usage - you now have an effective counter to infestors, a more accessible seeker missile, and overall a more reliable raven making it a better investment.
HOTS Seeker Missile: 10 or so range, 3 second target acquisition time, less damage than WOL seeker, but costs less energy at 75 energy
Production Set Up for avilo's HOTS Bio into Raven Accumulation™: In my previous guide, the main goal was to get up to 3-4 base gas economy and then add on 2 tech labbed star ports in conjunction with a reactored starport.
I have changed my own style and guidelines for this in HOTS due to ravens not sucking as hard. Now I add 4 tech labbed starports instead of the previous 2.
With the stipulation - your 3/3 upgrades should currently be researching. This is the most important part that I can emphasize.
I also add on approximately 3-4 tech labbed barracks after 3 bases solely for marauder production. Marauders are very much a lategame TvZ unit nowadays because of how strong ultralisks are.
The composition you end up with will be a marauder heavy bio army with essentially a slow build up of ravens to allow you maximum cost efficiency and trades while still maintaining the mobility of bio+medivacs.
A Word of Warning:
Not every TvZ you play will get to this late game stage. But the goal is to play as standard and efficient as possible with your macro, and with that in mind it's important that your main army is as strong as possible so all vespene gas has to be invested towards your 3/3 before tech labbed starports.
Remember, with this style ravens are not meant to be a "gimmick" or "fancy shit." You will want to essentially play the best possible early and mid-game TvZ as humanly possible with de facto standard widow mine + bio or tank + bio. If you can outplay your opponent in the first 15 minutes and kill them...by all means do so!
Do not purposely aim for "getting mass ravens." That is not viable at all. Ravens are meant to be used if you cannot kill your opponent or they are playing perfect Zerg turtle which will force you into late game, in which ravens are your go to option to parry hive tech.
When to begin the Raven Production?
Essentially, after your 3/3 is researching, and after you have added on late game tech labbed barracks for marauder production. At this point in the game, you'll be on essentially pure bio, with a few mines or tanks, and all of your vespene gas income will go into accumulating ravens to combat Zerg hive tech.
How to Micro/Target with Ravens in HOTS:
There is now an art to seeker missile usage because a seeker is not guaranteed to ever go off. I have personally found in HOTS, the more and more experience that you have using the new seeker will allow you to make the missile more reliable.
A lot of using the HOTS seeker is about judging distance of unit positioning in comparison to your raven's, judging whether your opponent will commit his units to attack, and this is a skill that can be learned and practiced.
Here are a few seeker techniques to make your seeker missiles more reliably go off, as well as guidelines to follow to hopefully help you in the learning process:
Raven Seeker Target Techniques:
The Point Blank WOL-style Seeker:
![[image loading]](http://uniqideas.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/kitten-with-hands-up-gun-pointed-at.jpg)
Just as the description says, you will want to get your raven as close to the target as possible and then use your seeker missile.
Since the distance between the seeker and the target is very short, there is less chance the enemy unit will be able to escape the activation range on the seeker.
This technique you will want to use when you want guaranteed seeker hits, and also can be used a lot in conjunction with point defense drone to make it possible for your raven to survive.
How many seekers to risk?
With this type of targetting, feel free to throw out as many seekers as necessary, because most of them will land (if not all). Very useful on slow units like broodlords, or infestors off of creep.
The "Come at me bro" Seeker:
![[image loading]](http://colaholicu.ro/wp-content/uploads/come-at-me-bro-chicken.jpg)
This is basically a seeker missile you fire as your opponent is committing to an attack. It takes a bit of experience to know when a Zerg will commit their units, but usually it involves a huge engagement of your main army with theirs, probably involving fungals as well.
This is where you seeker infestors, broods, and hydra/roach while kiting bio backwards (or just running) and running your raven/viking backwards while sometimes also utilizing PDD for extra defense.
The dangers in using this are knowing which units to target, and also you want to do this at a range far enough that your ravens are able to run away with the rest of your army.
An example of a bad thing to do here would be to seeker 3 corruptors that are flying near your army/raven flock, because good opponents can suicide those units into you. The same goes for ultralisks - you have to be very careful to be on the full run so that you don't eat too many of your own seekers.
You always will be kiting your bio army away while throwing these seekers into your opponent as they run at you.
How many seekers to risk?
Remember, do not expend all of your seekers as it's still possible that your opponent will retreat causing seeker failure.
The "Stay the Fuck Away Bro" Seeker:
![[image loading]](http://www.troll.me/images2/grammar-correction-guy/stop-it.jpg)
You know those times when you...need more time? That's what this technique is for. Let's say your opponent killed a chunk of your army, or has you in a bad spot, and is about to try to steamroll you down.
What do you do? You use a few seekers on their army from the max distance possible, usually 2-3 that's enough to say "fuck off, come back later."
Because you are firing from max seeker distance, there is a very, very low chance your seekers are going to activate. But that is OK in this instance. You want more time, and that's what this technique does. It gives you a bit of extra time to rally more units up, get in a better position, etc...and if your opponent still wants to come at you...well, he's going to be taking a lot of damage for free.
How many seekers to risk?
Usually 1-2 seekers, and no more. Remember, there's probably a 5-10% chance of these ever activating, you don't want to panic and throw out so many that you have no energy for later on.
The "Kamehameha" Seeker:
![[image loading]](http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120415171313/dbaf/images/b/bd/Goku-ssj-kamehameha.jpg)
This one is what you may have seen Bomber do with medivacs...it's quite simple really. You target one of your own medivacs with 2-3 seekers, wait a second for the seeker to acquire the medivac, and then speed boost into your opponent's army.
This technique can be very useful in lategame viking/raven vs corruptor fights, because it's a seeker that's under your control, rather than the opponent's control (reminiscent of irradiating your own science vessels BW TvZ...)
What to do against different unit compositions:
Hydra/Roach/Viper:
If you are going bio against hydra/roach/viper and end up with ravens, there will be times when you want to use energy on PDD, and other times when Zerg is committing to fighting you or you have them backed into a place where they have to fight...then you use seeker missile on clumps of hydras.
If Zerg lands blinding clouds, you can also use the "Stay the fuck away bro™" seeker and run, if Zerg follows you, his units will go boom.
Ultralisk/Ling/Infestor
This one is very tricky, but your first priority is doing your best to seeker the infestors. If you do somehow manage to get rid of infestors, or there are mainly ultras left, you can seeker the ultras but you have to use "Point Blank Seekers™" so that they will go off, and you have to kite away with bio.
Alternatively, once the infestors are dead you can oftentimes just save your raven energy and try to take out the ultras with your bio or force them back while they remake units.
Ultralisk/Hydra
PDD can be useful here but basically seeker as many hydras as you can while kiting away with bio. It really depends on their ratio of ultra/hydra. If they have a ton of hydras you may be able to kill the ultras with bio and then use only PDD to have an invincible army, or you can just go for the seekers anyways.
Mass mutalisk/Ling/Baneling
If you're playing someone that stays on this into 200/200, you're going to have to do your best to pull off good Point Blank seekers when banelings roll by, while kiting with bio.
If you can seeker enough banelings, the rest is a pretty easy cleanup with bio + medivacs. If you do seeker his mutas, be sure to seeker mutas near the center of the clump so that it's harder for Zerg to pick out the targetted muta. It's tough and up to your micro here and the situation because you don't want to launch 5 seekers into mutas and then have the mutas fly over your army -_-
End of Avilo's HOTS Bio Into Raven Accumulation Style™:
Please keep in mind, a lot of my previous guide found here still applies to the HOTS Raven.
I encourage Terrans to experiment with the new raven and get more experience with the new seeker missile. There is a skill element in getting your seeker missiles to activate very often, and after you play with this style a lot you'll find you'll very rarely have dud seekers, and you'll get better at using raven energy as efficiently as you can to survive through multiple remaxes of the Zerg.
Seeing is Believing (Replays):
http://rapidshare.com/files/3705767052/aviloHOTSbioRavenTransition.rar
Just as a note: the replays above, i believe in most of them i utilize a very standard and common 3 CC into bio opening, nothing too out of the ordinary goes on until 3/3 infantry upgrades are being researched and then...enjoy + Show Spoiler +
p.s. In a week or two, perhaps a few more, maybe a month...some brave korean will finally execute this style well and everyone will applaud him, deeming him insanely creative...but you will remember this thread and grin remembering that a foreigner came up with it first
